News and Press Releases
Prosecutions continue in illegal entry cases
involving those with prior criminal records
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS – In the District of Minnesota, court action continues in federal cases
involving three foreign nationals who entered the United States illegally after being deported as
criminals. Today in Minneapolis, one of those men was sentenced, while yesterday two other
men were sentenced on one count of illegal re-entry after removal.
In the first case, U.S. District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery sentenced Rogelio Robles-
Caballero, age 38, to 18 months in prison. He was indicted on January 19, 2011, and pleaded
guilty on April 14, 2011. In his plea agreement, Robles-Caballero admitted that on October 14,
2010, he was found in the U.S. illegally after having been previously deported to Mexico. His
deportation followed a 1995 California conviction for unlawful sale of a controlled substance.
He was arrested most recently by the Richfield Police Department and was then identified as an
illegal alien through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Criminal Alien Program
(“CAP”). The goal of that program is to locate criminal aliens incarcerated in federal and state
prisons, as well as in local jails, and prevent them from being released into the general
population.
The Robles-Caballero case was the result of an investigation by the Richfield Police
Department and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ICE ERO”). It was prosecuted
by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen B. Schommer.
In the second case, on December 12, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz
sentenced Julio Barreto-Barragan, age 30, to 15 months imprisonment. He was indicted on July
6, 2011, and pleaded guilty on September 6, 2011. In his plea agreement, Barreto-Barragan
admitted that on May 11, 2011, he was found in the U.S. illegally after having been previously
deported to Mexico. Barreto-Barragan’s deportation followed a 2003 Illinois conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana. The current federal indictment resulted from June
3, 2011, arrest by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Team. ICE was looking for Barreto-Barragan after
he was reported following a May 12, 2011, arrest in Edina for not having a driver’s license.
Baretto-Barragan was released after being processed by the Edina Police Department.
This case was the result of an investigation by ICE ERO and the Edina Police Department.
It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin P. Johnson.
In the third case, on December 12, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank
sentenced Samer Ochoa-Bernabe, age 36, of Edina, to seven months imprisonment. He was
indicted on June 21, 2011, and pleaded guilty on August 31, 2011. In his plea agreement, Ochoa-
Bernabe admitted that on May 10, 2011, he was found in the U.S. illegally after having been
previously deported to Mexico. Ochoa-Bernabe’s deportation followed a 1998 California
conviction for willful infliction of corporal injury. The current federal indictment resulted from a
May 9, 2011, arrest for giving a false name to a police officer, speeding, and other traffic
violations. He was in the Faribault County Jail when he was identified through the CAP.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Minnesota State Patrol and ICE ERO. It
was also prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Johnson.
All three men will be deported after serving their sentences. To learn more about the CAP,
visit www.ice.gov/criminal-alien-program/
